Fall kills Wasilla man

Wasilla resident Tracy Shelden, 34, died Friday in an apparent fall on East Twin Peak. He and four others had been attempting a traverse from the Eklutna Power House to Eklutna Lake.

Alaska State Troopers received a cell phone call at 6:45 p.m. Friday reporting that the climbing party was "wet, cold and disoriented on the north face of the East Twin Peak above the Eklutna power plant," according to troopers.

Clouds and fog had reduced visibility, prompting Shelden to go ahead to search for a route down the mountain. Those remaining behind were Shelden's 11-year-old son, Mike Majors, Majors' 12-year-old daughter, and Stefan Hinman.

They had not heard from Shelden in more than an hour when the call was made. Troopers said the caller reported that the children were becoming hypothermic.

An Alaska State Trooper helicopter was called out. Also, the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group was alerted and arrived at 8:30 p.m. to help in the search. By then, Majors had gone in search of Shelden.

Hinman and the children were rescued at the 4,700-foot level and flown to the Eklutna Lake ranger station via helicopter. Troopers said they were cold and wet but were uninjured and didn't require medical treatment.

The crew, along with rescue climbers, returned to the mountain and recovered Shelden's body at the bottom of a steep rock face about 800 feet from the summit ridge, troopers said.

"It appeared that he had fallen from the narrow crest and sustained fatal injuries," according to a trooper report.

Clouds still swirled around the upper peaks while rescue climbers recovered the body at 1 a.m. Saturday.

Meanwhile, Majors had run into trouble trying to find Shelden. Troopers said he climbed into a precarious spot more than 1,000 feet up a steep, narrow chute where he was unable to move up or down.

"Conditions in the chute proved very treacherous and it took rescue climbers over two hours to reach the second climber and over four hours to get him down the chute," a trooper report said.

Rescuers got Majors to the bottom of the chute at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. He was cold and exhausted but uninjured when the helicopter delivered him to the Eklutna Lake ranger station.

Troopers said they received key help from Eklutna Lake park ranger Dan Amyot and the use of his facilities. They also praised the efforts of the rescue climbers and trooper helicopter pilot Mel Nadding.